Am I Getting Angry at an Empty Boat?
Anger, assumptions, and knowing when to respond. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I find myself thinking more about
Awareness
Before It Becomes a Fight
Why self-protection begins long before physical contact. There was another shooting near me recently. One person was killed and another
Zanshin: The Situation May Not Be Over
Why awareness should remain after the technique has finished Zanshin (残心) is often translated as “remaining mind” or “lingering mind.”
When the Mind Will Not Let Go
We spend years training for physical problems we may rarely face, yet the mind is something we have to deal
When the Best Choice is Not to Fight
Sometimes self-protection is not about what you can do physically, but whether you can prevent the situation from becoming physical
The Warning We Quietly Give Ourselves
What training quietly removes before the attack has even begun. As senior practitioners, we have a responsibility to pass karate
Where Should We Look?
Why concentrating on one part of the body may cause us to miss what is happening elsewhere. People often ask
Teaching the Fight First
Many self-defense classes begin at the point where self-protection has already failed. Self-defense. Everyone teaches it, right? It’s written on
The Danger of False Confidence
When children are taught weak self-defense methods, the danger is not just failure. It is the false confidence that comes
